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Vegan Chickpea, Lentil and Kale Stew

First of all, thank you guys SO much for taking the time to tell me about yourselves on Monday. I’ve been loving all of your responses and am blown away by the amazing goals you’ve set and gone after this year. Super inspiring stuff, my friends. You’ve also asked me some fantastic questions, so I’m looking forward to answering those as blog posts soon.

It’s a typical wet, fall week here in Raincouver and I am SO feeling soup season right now. And sweaters and scarves and great big mugs of tea. Mmmmmmmmm.

Today’s recipe is partly a throwback to 2013, and partly inspired by an email I got last week. One of my lovely readers, Courtney, sent me a note to say that she was looking for my Chickpea, Lentil and Kale Stew recipe but the link was broken. This was my fault entirely. When transferring to my new blog layout I was trying to pare down on old content, some of which included recipes with less than stellar photography. This particular recipe fell hard into that bucket and was in desperate need of a re-vamp.

After almost 3 years of its initial debut, I was reminded of how hearty and delicious this little nutrient-loaded creation is. Being anemic and a non-red meat eater, lentils have been a great source of plant-based iron for me and are a far more common food in my diet now than years before. (I also take a supplement – more on that here if you’re curious.) Annnnd.. fun fact for my fellow nutrition nerds in the house: Iron absorption is boosted if you consume it with vitamin C, and tomatoes contain plenty of that. Winning!

Pairing the lentils and chickpeas really amp up the protein and fibre content of this recipe, making it incredibly satisfying and one worth testing on the meat eaters in your house. As for the kale, be sure to stir it in near the very end. Even though kale is a more sturdy, fibrous leafy green, adding it any earlier will over-cook it and zap some of its nutrients. Simply let it wilt in the heat of the stew after you’ve removed it from the pot from the burner, and a few minutes later it’ll be ready to enjoy.

Vegan Chickpea, Lentil and Kale Stew

by Angela Simpson

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients (about 8 cups)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 medium cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 white onion

1 cup carrot coins

1 tsp each dried basil, oregano and parsley

1 cup brown lentils (ideally soaked for a few hours beforehand)

28 fl oz canned diced tomatoes

2 cups diced zucchini

2 cups water

1 tbsp minced fresh sage

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 cups de-stemmed loosely packed kale

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute, then add the garlic, onion and carrots. Sautee for 2 minutes or until the onion begins to become translucent.

Add the dried herbs, lentils, tomatoes, zucchini, water and chickpeas. Stir well, then bring the pot to a boil. Reduce to medium, cover and allow the stew to simmer for 20 mins.

Remove the pot from the heat. Remove the lid and stir in the fresh sage and chopped kale. Put the lid back on the pot and allow the kale to wilt in the stew for 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

*Note: If working with uncooked chickpeas, it’s ideal to soak them overnight if possible. (They cook much faster this way!) Then, rinse them off and start cooking them in a separate pot about 30 minutes before starting to cook the stew. They should be fully cooked by this time, however, unsoaked chickpeas will require longer.

Angela Simpson

My name is Angela and I've got a fiery passion for turning fresh, healthy ingredients into delicious mouth-watering meals. I love veggies, seafood, avocados, and exploring all things wellness in Los Angeles, the city I'm now proud to call home.

Hi Nicole! Unlike the majority of food bloggers (or so it feels, anyway) I actually don’t own a slow cooker! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work though. Looking at instructions for some slow cooker stews with similar ingredients, my guess would be to follow the instructions above right up until you bring the stew to a boil. Then, I’d transfer the whole thing to the slow cooker for 3-4 hours on high. Wait until the end to stir the kale and parsley in. Let me know if you give it a go and how it turns out!

Hi Louise,
The recipe makes 8 cups. That would be 2 cups per serving if you’re making 4, but if you’d like leftovers you may want to double it. It freezes well provided you let it cool before sealing the container and putting it in the freezer. Hope that helps!

Did you want to put in your helpful hint of removing the pot from the burner before stirring in the kale to avoid overcooking right into the recipe directions? Was there any special advice on cooking the chickpeas? I think I am going to try this tonight.

Hi Sue,
These are all great questions! I’ve updated the recipe with notes for the chickpeas and the bit about removing the pot from the heat while wilting the kale. Thanks so much for pointing that out. Enjoy making this one, and I’d love to hear what you think of the finished result!

Hi Mary,
I’m so sorry the link isn’t working – I realized that I still need to migrate this recipe to my new recipe plugin, so you’re probably getting the redirect link which sends you right back to this post. Instead I’ve made a quick PDF that you can print out, and you can download it by clicking here. I hope you enjoy the stew!

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welcome!

I’m Angela, and I’m so glad you stopped by! If you’re looking for healthy, delicious food, heart-pumping workouts, and inspiration for all things holistic wellness, you’re in the right spot. Have a look around, or learn more about me here.